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Jordon Ibe
Jordon Ibe (born 8 December 1995) is an English footballer who plays as a forward for Liverpool. Liverpool career On 20 December 2011, Liverpool agreed a deal to sign the highly-rated Ibe from Wycombe Wanderers for a reported initial fee of £750,000, potentially rising to £1,000,000. Competition for Ibe had been heavy, with Liverpool beating the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea to the signing. Ibe had already made a breakthrough into the senior side at Wycombe, however he was placed in the Academy at Liverpool for the 2011-12 season. He made his Under 18s debut in the 1-0 win against Crewe on 7 January 2012 and scored his first Under 18s goal in a 1-0 win against Blackburn on 18 February 2012. After making his debut, Ibe was a mainstay in the side, accumulating 12 appearances and netting 3 goals. He has been employed in a wide right position by the Academy. Ibe was also given experience playing alongside Liverpool's Reserve team players, being selected to play the full 90 minutes of the NextGen Series third-place play-off tie with Marseille on 24 March 2012, which Liverpool won 2-0. In July 2012, new manager Brendan Rodgers took Ibe on Liverpool's pre-season tour of the USA. Ibe played the first half of the friendly versus Toronto and produced an impressive performance from the right flank, showcasing his talent for dribbling. Upon his return to Merseyside, Ibe- still only 16 years old- took his place with the Under 21s, foregoing the Under 18s. On 7 December 2012, Brendan Rodgers confirmed that Ibe was signing his first professional contract with Liverpool. Ibe netted his first Under 21s goal on 17 February 2013- the goal coming in a 2-1 victory over West Brom. Ibe was drafted into the first team squad for the first time on 16 March 2013 as he made the bench for Liverpool's away league tie with Southampton. Ibe was an unused substitute as Liverpool lost 3-1. He was granted his debut on 19 May 2013 in Liverpool's final match of the season, starting the home tie against QPR. He played the first hour of the match, impressing throughout. In the 23rd minute, he embarked on a mazy run through the QPR defence before teeing up Philippe Coutinho to open the scoring. At the end of the season, the Liverpool fans voted Ibe the U21s Player of the Season for 2012-13. He had amassed 19 appearances for the U21 and U19 sides, however despite his stand-out displays, he was only able to net one goal. He did however net three goals for the U18s in the FA Youth Cup. Ibe started Liverpool's first preseason game of the 2013-14 season on 13 July 2013 away to Preston. He played the first half and impressed, scoring his first senior goal in Liverpool colours with a well-placed shot from the edge of the box. On 16 August 2013, it was confirmed that Ibe had been handed the number 33 shirt for the upcoming season, last worn by Jonjo Shelvey. On 27 August 2013, Ibe made his first competitive appearance of the season, playing the whole 120 minutes in a 4-2 win over Notts County. Ibe had to wait until 8 February 2014 for his next senior Liverpool appearance. He came on as a second half substitute and impressed as Liverpool beat League leaders Arsenal 5-1 at Anfield in the Premier League. On 21 February 2014, Ibe departed Liverpool to join Birmingham on loan for the remainder of the 2013-14 season. He returned at the end of the season to star in Liverpool's post-season friendly against Shamrock Rovers. Ibe was man of the match as the Reds won 4-0, with his pace and power leading to two assists- for Iago Aspas and Fabio Borini to put Liverpool 2-0 up. Brendan Rodgers spoke glowingly about Ibe after the game, saying he could go on to be an 'outstanding' player for Liverpool. He went on to again play a starring role in Liverpool's next friendly game- their pre-season tie away to Brondby on 16 July 2014. Coming on as a second half substitute, Ibe embarked on a mazy run through the Brondby defence before teeing up Kristoffer Peterson to net the equaliser, although the match was ultimately lost 2-1. Ibe added two more assists to his name in Liverpool's next pre-season game, away to Preston, as the Reds won 2-1. He was widely celebrated as man of the match. Ibe went on to impress throughout Liverpool's pre-season schedule. On 29 August 2014, it was confirmed that Ibe had moved on loan to Championship side Derby County for the 2014-15 season. After impressing in the first half of the season, and with Liverpool struggling for the same attacking potency as they had enjoyed in the previous campaign, Brendan Rodgers opted to recall Ibe in the January 2015 transfer window. Ibe made his first appearance for the club following his return on 17 January 2015 as a late substitute in Liverpool's 2-0 away win over Aston Villa. On 7 February 2015, Ibe started the Merseyside Derby game at Goodison Park. In a 0-0 draw, Ibe was widely praised as one of the standout performers of the tie, and was unlucky not to score when his fierce long range effort struck the post. He continued with another strong display in Liverpool's next game, a home 3-2 win over Tottenham on 10 February 2015. In his next match, Ibe was named man of the match as Liverpool beat Besiktas 1-0 in the Europa League at Anfield on 19 February 2015. With the score level at 0-0 and five minutes left on the clock, Ibe was felled in the box, earning the penalty from which Mario Balotelli scored. Honours *Liverpool F.C. U21s Player of the Season: 2012-13 Stats External links * *Jordon Ibe's profile on liverpoolfc.com Ibe Ibe